Considerations

Keeping the Backlog healthy is a key responsibility for all product owners and product teams. Without a healthy Backlog work becomes less predictable, the Rate of Delivery is reduced and Quality of Service will be impacted.

Items in the Backlog should not be allowed to age excessively. Excessively aged items indicate that we are paying insufficient attention to the priorities of our stakeholders. Keeping the content of the Backlog aligned to the most immediate time-frame in the Roadmap helps to ensure that backlog items do not become excessively aged. Alignment to the Roadmap also ensures we focus on the stakeholders’ highest priorities as they evolve. Ageing of Backlog items is reflected in the Dwell Time component of the measured Lead Time.

Newly created backlog items will not encompass sufficient detail or structure to allow them to be engineered. Product Backlog Refinement is the continuous process of improving the quality of Backlog items until there is agreement they are ready to be worked. There must be sufficient refined backlog items to consume the capacity of the teams over their chosen short-term planning horizon (in Scrum, this will typically be a couple of sprints). When insufficient items are ready for engineering, planning will be much more difficult and there will be extended discussion of backlog Items during planning.

Levels

Green

The Backlog Is Healthy

The Backlog is clearly aligned to the most immediate time-frame of the Roadmap. There are no excessively aged items in the Backlog.

There are sufficient, well-refined items in the Backlog to consume the capacity of the teams over their short-term planning horizon. Teams and stakeholders regularly collaborate on the refinement of Backlog Items.

There is normally a clear consensus in the teams about which Backlog Items are ready for work and which are not.

Amber

The Backlog Is Not Completely Healthy

The Backlog lacks clear alignment to the most immediate time-frame of the Roadmap. There are some excessively aged items in the Backlog.

There is insufficient collaboration on the refinement of Backlog Items, so that insufficient Backlog Items are well refined. It is sometimes hard to plan work even for the short-term because insufficient Backlog Items are well refined.

Sometimes there is disagreement about which Backlog Items are ready for work and which are not.

Red

The Backlog is Unhealthy

There is little evidence that the Backlog is aligned to the most immedate time-frame of the Roadmap. There are significant numbers of excessively aged items in the Backlog.

There is little evidence of collaboration on the refinement of Backlog Items and very few Backlog Items are well refined. There are frequent challenges when planning work because so few Backlog Items are well refined.

There is frequent disagreement about the meaning of Backlog Items and their readiness for work.